Live, Laugh and Love
by fevil-devil
Summary: Melissa Notte has a strange ability that gets her into more trouble than she might be able to handle. How can Lee Jordan, George and Fred Weasley going to get her out of this mess? Fred seems to have other plans about Mel. FredWeasleyxOC
1. Interesting Introductions

"She'll be here!" Lee Jordan said. Fred and George Weasley were beginning to wonder if this girl even existed. Lee had been going on about her since they met in detention. Though the year was still young, they had both managed a detention from Professor McGonagall. She had somehow sent an exploding note across the room and he had been the one to open it. Of course she had no intentional victim at the time and had just passed it on to see what would happen.

They were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room in the corner by a window, discussing their plans about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was their sixth year and they were just about ready to get out as soon as possible. Lee was distracted and began frantically searching the common room. George rolled his eyes over at Fred who smirked knowingly.

"Come on now Lee, it's okay if you've been stood up," George began mockingly.

"That's right, invisible dates often do that," Fred continued with the same tone. His arm was already around Lee's shoulder. They almost made it back to their room when a loud voice exploded from the entrance of the common room.

"Hello!" the deep voice boomed. Walking in, was a handsome, cocky boy with luscious golden blond hair and dull brown eyes. He smiled and strode confidently towards a group of girls. The boys stopped in curiosity of this new character. They've never seen him before. The handsome boy's eyes met with Ginny, Fred and George's younger sister. He stepped towards her and took her hand to kiss. The twins were on him in a second. "Oi!" George grabbed the boy's shoulder and pulled him back to face them.

"What do you think you're doing?" George yelled. His wand was out and pointing at his face, just as Fred's was.

"That's our sister there!" The boy appeared shocked and put on a convincingly innocent face. Ginny tried to step in to say that she didn't need protecting by George hushed her up.

"Now don't go trying that on us!"

"We've been goin' at that for years!" The boy smirked and shook his head.

"No need to worry boys," the boy began, "I'm not interested in any of the girls in this room." A few groans could be heard and Ginny frowned. "In fact." He stepped towards Fred and looked at him from top to bottom. "I would much prefer you." Fred's wand dropped to his side and he stepped back in fear. Lee and George broke out into tremendous fits of laughter, as did the rest of the common room. Fred's face turned from white to red in a matter of seconds and he was utterly speechless.

"Don't think you're my type mate," he muttered. The boy looked shocked that he spoke but smile all the same. He winked in Lee's direction and dragged the three of them up to the male dormitories. As soon as they entered Fred, George and Lee's room, the boy burst into laughter. A light, playful, female voice came from his mouth when he spoke.

"The look… on… your face…!" he was pointing at Fred while he laughed. The twins were in shock and made no attempt to stop his or her laughter.

"Brilliant Melissa! Just brilliant!" Lee called out. Melissa took her want from her robe and lightly tapped the top of her head. The effects were that of Polyjuice potion but much quicker. Melissa's body shrunk and her hair lengthened and turned to a dark brown. She had transformed from a handsome boy into a small girl right before their eyes. The twins continued a record breaking silence. She curtsied as if to end her performance.

"Hello, my name is Melissa Notte. Interesting to meet you." Melissa had big brown eyes, though the color was a bit dull. Her long wavy hair fell mid-way down her back and her height was half a foot from the twins' shoulders. There was still an awkward silence. The twins looked at each other and back at Melissa.

"She's great at Transfiguration see?" Lee explained quickly, "Top marks! And she can do it without a spell. She's also great at Charms and Potions; second to Granger." George was the first to speak.

"Blimey, brilliant prank there," he said to her. She smiled and thanked him.

"Yea, how do you do that?" Fred asked.

"I transfigure," she replied, pointing out the obvious. "Can we agree that everything we say now is confidential?" They nodded, having their own secrets. "I love messing with people, they never know it's me you see. I do other pranks too, but if anyone knew I was transfiguring like this… well, let's just say it isn't exactly legal."

"What?" Lee asked.

"Well, the type of transfiguration I do isn't legal. It's one thing to turn a person into an object but to turn a person into another person? It's almost the same as a Polyjuice potion. The biggest difference, and the biggest issue, is that sometimes people get stuck. I've never gotten stuck before but the spell is sort of… well, it still has some bugs. It also runs the risk of stealing another person's identity. See, the spell is untraceable unless you trace it from my wand. And, it never wears off until the caster takes it off. Again, really risky. Since it's untraceable, it's useful, but the Ministry doesn't like not being in control of it. It's called _morphus totalus_ and takes a hell of a lot of time to master. Don't try it. Trust me."

"Blimey," the twins muttered.

"Lee said you needed help with a few tricks," she prompted.

"Right," Fred started, "See we're creating some merchandise for a joke shop we plan to run."

"Right now we're in the middle of developing our Skiving Snack Boxes," George continued.

"Basically, if you eat them, they'll make you sick enough to get you out of class."

"And then, eating the other end will get you well again to go on and about your way once you're out." She nodded in understanding.

"The only problem is-."

"That some of them don't stop once they've started."

"For instance, our Nosebleed Nougat," George revealed a small box of orange and purple sweets.

"Well, it's doesn't exactly stop the bleeding like it should."

"We've been trying to figure it out for weeks."

"The orange ones make you bleed in seconds."

"And the purple ones stop it." Melissa picked up the orange and purple sweets and examined them for a moment before pocketing them.

"How do you know if they work?" She asked.

"They test it on themselves," Lee piped, "I've also been helpin' out with it."

"And why should I help you?" she asked skeptically. She expected payment. "I mean, I've got other things to do you know. I could be off setting Flitch on a wild goose chase. What do I get if I help you?" The twins glared at Lee. They hadn't known of payment.

"Five percent," Fred bargained.

"Twenty," she countered.

"Seven," George said.

"Fifteen."

"Ten," Lee said.

"Deal. Ten percent of whatever you make off your snack boxes and I'll fix anything you need." They all shook on it. It was the beginning of an interesting friendship.


	2. Detention with Lee

"Detention, Ms. Notte," Professor McGonagall prescribed. The class was still holding in fits of giggles from Melissa's exploding note. "And you as well Mr. Jordan." Lee was too busy wiping the ash from his face to even notice that he had gotten another detention. He and the twins had received detentions so often lately that they regularly forgot when they had them and usually just showed up just in case. Today, the twins were absent from their study period. Apparently their Skiving Snack Boxes were in dire need of attention.

Melissa sat stubbornly with her arms crossed in front of her chest. He scoffed at her; as if he had wanted an extra detention.

"Lines for the both of you." Professor McGonagall handed them each a sheet of parchment. "I'm keeping you here until four thirty." Lee opened his mouth to argue but she quickly shut him up. "Unless, Mr. Jordan, you would prefer that I take points from Gryffindor." He slumped back into his seat and took out his quill. Professor McGonagall left the room promptly for an errand. Lee was mumbling through his lines; thankful for his self inking quill, courtesy of Fred and George. _I will not disrupt the class. I will not disrupt the class. I will not disrupt the class._ Melissa sat at her seat with a smug expression as she had charmed her quill to write on its own.

"Want me to do yours?" Her question was directed to the only other person in the class room, though he didn't seem to appreciate her offer. Finally, in complete frustration, he threw his quill onto the parchment and leaned back in his seat.

"Please," he begged. Melissa smiled at his improved attitude and charmed his quill as well.

"Sorry about getting you into detention. I was trying to get the note all the way down to the Slytherin end of the table. At least then it would have been worth it." Lee chuckled and she took that as an acceptance to her apology. "That Malfoy needed a good exploding note to the face. He's been much too cheerful nowadays since Dumbledore has been a bit off his rocker; more than usual anyways."

"We've been playing thousands of pranks on Malfoy and his group. You're welcome to join us. It couldn't hurt to have a few more hands. Though I warn you, it's gotten to the point that we're usually accused for things we haven't gotten to yet." Melissa stifled a giggle at that last point. Lee looked at her with confusion.

"Ok, confession time!" Melissa laughed, "Those were probably my fault."

"What?"

"You three usually get away with a lot among the other students and so I can usually smuggle things into the castle without having to hide from everyone."

"What are you talking about?" Instead of openly explaining her situation, she pulled out her wand and pointed to her hair.

"_Morphus totalus!_" Her hair had turned to a bright shade of copper similar to Fred and George's. Lee jumped in his chair at the thought of the possibilities held in this charm.

"Blimey that's brilliant!" Lee whispered to himself. Melissa smiled and continued to change parts of her anatomy for amusement. Her eyes turned to a bright shade of blue and her nose flattened itself. Soon, she looked scarily similar to a Weasley. They were giggling out of their minds by now; completely entertained by her abilities. Suddenly, they heard a clacking sound in the closest corridor and Melissa changed back in the flick of her wand and took hold of her enchanted quill.

By now, both of their heads were back into their parchment and they both stifled snickers. When McGonagall turned her back, Lee sent a small note to the desk Melissa was seated at.

_Gryffindor common room. Tonight. After dinner._


	3. Two More Weasleys

It took only one night of examination to repair the Nosebleed Nougat. They had actually cast the spell incorrectly. She couldn't be sure that it worked and wasn't tempted to try it herself so she kept it hidden in her pocket for the next day. During breakfast, the three of them approached her.

"So?" George asked, casually placing his arm around her shoulder.

"What's the verdict?" Fred continued.

"Did you fix it?" Lee wondered. Melissa pulled them from her pocket and tossed it Fred.

"Try them for yourself," she insisted. They looked at them skeptically and back up at her.

"Bottoms up George," Fred said as he tossed the Nosebleed Nougat to him. Melissa quickly grabbed a handful of napkins from the table as a precaution as George ate the orange half of the sweet. Almost immediately, his nose began to bleed. He panicked slightly before remembering to eat the other half of the sweet which surprisingly stopped the bleeding. The twins looked down at Melissa in shock while Lee held a little pride in his hand.

"Alright!" Fred said, while patting Melissa on the shoulder, "Amazing bloody work there Mel."

"Agreed," George added, wiping the remainder of the blood from his nose.

"I told you she could help."

"Yea, yea Lee, you did." George replied.

"So, Mel, we recall –"

"That you mentioned –"

"Something about a wild goose chase –"

"And Filch?" Melissa smirked at the promising idea of an exciting prank. She hadn't had a good one in a while and the idea she had in mind involved a few more people than just herself.

"Alright, everyone know what we're doing?" Melissa reviewed. All three boys nodded their heads. "Great. Lee, you'll be Fred and I'll be George. Not that it makes much of a difference. _Morphus totalus!_" Almost immediately, Lee had a growth spurt. The oddest thing was seeing his skin change from its usual chocolate brown to a pale sandy shade. Then, pointing to herself, she said the same spell. The plan was nearly flawless, except for Lee's brown eyes; they hadn't morphed into the same electric blue that the twins had. She probably had the same problem but couldn't care to check at the moment.

"Oi Fred, we just got ourselves another two brothers!"

"It's going to drive mum mad!"

"Alright, let's split up. I'll go with George and Lee, you go with Fred." They all nodded in comprehension. Fred and Lee sprinted off to find Filch while George and Melissa went off to the main hall to set off the first set of dung bombs. It only took five minutes for the students to realize the stench and only another two minutes for Filch to reach the main hall. George and Melissa stifled their snickers as they searched for their geminates Fred and Lee, but not before Filch was able to get a good look at them. His eyes nearly feel from its sockets when the twins appeared on either sides of the hall. The four of them gathered in an empty corridor nearby and burst into laughter.

"Bloody brilliant!"

"Did you see his face!"

"And everyone else when they saw the four of us?"

"This is the best yet!"

No one could tell whose voices' was whose.

The clacking of shoes on the tiled floors could be heard near by and their laughter immediately ended.

"Scram!" Melissa screamed. She went to hide behind a nearby piece of tapestry. She had no clue where the other three had gone and it was probably best since it was the closest to safety as she could get them. Her breathing was heavy and her attempts to calm herself provided no avail. She dared a peak out from the side of the tapestry and saw that Snape had caught two of them, though there was no telling which two. One of them had to be George since the two standing guiltily before Snape looked slightly different from one another.

"You two!" Another voice called. It was clearly identifiable as Filch's raspy tone. Melissa ignored the small banter between the two and decided this was the best time to change Lee back if it was him standing next to George.

"_Finate Incantatum!_" she whispered as she flicked her wand in his relative direction. Sure enough, Fred's form began to shrink and his skin darkened. Thankfully, he had reverted back to his original appearance before Snape or Filch had time to look back at him. Melissa's heart was beating out of control by now. Snape was the professor she feared most. To put it bluntly, she would have rather seen a dementor standing before her instead of this professor. Beads of sweat began to form as Snape searched the area; suspicious of the sudden change and too stubborn to believe it was a trick of the eye. She was concentrating on holding her breath to silence herself when suddenly a hand found its way to her shoulder.

Melissa nearly shrieked and jumped from behind the tapestry if it weren't for the fact that Fred firmly held her to him and covered her mouth. Her scream was muffled, and fortunately, Filch chose that particular moment to complain about Snape's paranoia.

"What the bloody 'ell you lookin' for?" he asked disrespectfully. There was a shuffle of cloth and Snape returned to scold George and Lee. Both Melissa and Fred exhaled deeply at the thought of a few seconds of safety and thought. Gradually, Fred removed himself from her. Melissa had to think quickly or risk being caught. There was no way they could escape and the chances that no one would notice them for much longer were slim.

"Mel! Turn me into Oliver Wood!" There was a suitable amount of urgency in his tone though there was also a bizarre amount of excitement. She did as he willed. There wasn't much of a change but the difference was evident. "Now your turn. Katie Bell. Go!" She didn't know much about what Fred had had in mind but thankfully knew Katie Bell. "Perfect," he muttered under his breath. Behind the tapestry, they heard the shuffle of cloth again and a hushing sound. Frantically, Melissa turned to Fred. Her entire body was shaking at the thought of Snape finding them and there Fred stood, unwilling to tell her his plan, leaving her vulnerable.

"What now?" Filch complained.

The following events happened in split seconds. Melissa barely had time to process it all or breath for that matter. The artwork was ripped to its side to reveal Snape's furious expression. Melissa readied herself to scream but it instead came out as a squeak. And finally, Fred had slipped one hand around her waist and the other on the back of her head, forcing her to tilt her head just enough for him to jam his lips against hers.


	4. Admit it!

A faint gasp could be heard from behind the angry professor that stared at who appeared to be Oliver Wood and Katie Bell. Melissa couldn't breathe, or move for that matter. A mixture of feelings swelled up inside of her. The one in her heart and stomach fluttered uncontrollably, feelings in her lungs were lost and the feeling in her brain was furious. A harsh cough interrupted them and her head spun to face Professor Snape. He seemed un-phased by the embarrassment of the situation.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," he muttered. Fred began to protest and Snape whipped his head in his direction. "Each!" he added. Melissa groaned inwardly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of giving them a detention as well. That would not work seeing as they weren't who he thought they were; if that made any sense. The tapestry swung back to conceal the two again and they could hear George and Lee being dragged away. Melissa couldn't help but notice that Fred's hand was still wrapped tightly around her lower back. She attempted to ignore it, failing, and pulled her wand from the inside of her robe.

"_Finate Incantatum_," she muttered and their original appearances returned. Melissa started muttering incomprehensible words to herself and avoided all eye contact with Fred. Meanwhile, Fred was dazed by the site of the small girl in his arms. He could have held on to her forever if it weren't for the fact that he hardly knew her. But he knew everything he needed to know. She was beautiful, had a sense of humor, was mischievous, and had just helped them (almost) pull off and amazing prank, what more could he ask for? She cleared her through and pushed her hands against his chest, causing him to release her. "Right," she began, her voice was hoarse." We should get back to the common room before Snape decides he wants to see where we are. In case he suspects anything." All the while, she stared at the floor as if a couple of eyes were staring back up at her. Without allowing Fred time to answer her, she rushed off, tripping over her feet at least twice. Fred smiled and knew that this may have been worth it.

George and Lee had almost nothing to ask about the topic except _why_. Even George had no clue. He knew that they had only known Melissa for a few days. He also knew that Fred was usually very open with open relationships but he knew nothing of the Fred before him. He was acting strange. Fred was sitting next to fire place in the common room. His expression was unreadable and he merely stared into the fire.

Melissa saw the confusion among the three of them and almost laughed. Well, she would have laughed if she weren't confused as well. Before any of them could catch her looking at them, she ran back up to the girls dormitories and fell face first into her pillow, screaming in frustration. She wasn't sure how to feel about Fred. Things had moved so quickly. They had only met two days ago and already they had gone this far. It wasn't that she didn't find him attractive, in fact, she thought quite the opposite. The thought of his fiery red hair and bright blue eyes brought color to her cheeks. It was his eyes. When he had kissed her she felt elated. Her body was floating but she felt too grounded to move. How was it possible that she could feel this way after only two days? She hadn't even known him for a full two days either! A knock could be heard on her door. Her body jerked upward and she found herself sitting up on the bed, her breath frantic. The door opened and Katie Bell came into the room. Clearly she hadn't expected anyone else to be in here and Melissa made no move to draw attention to herself. Katie looked up and jumped when she saw Melissa.

"Oh! Mel! I didn't see you!" Katie was panting and her hand was held against her chest. Melissa blushed at the use of her nickname. The way Katie said it sounded too similar to how Fred had when she had first repaired the Nosebleed Nougat. After Katie had recovered from her minor heart attack, she noticed the red rings around Melissa's sunken eyes. "Mel, have you been crying?" Instinctively, Melissa buried her face back into the pillow, not wanting to explain her state. Katie put her arms around her friend's back and she hid. "Mel," she whispered. Melissa responded with a loud groan from the pillow. "I'm not leaving until you tell me so you might as well get this over with now." Melissa groaned again before getting up and stubbornly stared at the floor, pouting.

"It's all his fault," she began.

"Who?"

"That stupid red-headed, blue-eyed, idiot, twin, thing. The loud one."

"Aw you have a crush on Fred?" Melissa threw her head back into the pillow. Honestly, she was surprised that Katie figured out exactly which twin she was talking about so quickly. She was also surprised at how upset and confused she was. Regularly, she was very sure of herself and more or less confident in her thoughts and actions. Now, she wasn't even sure if admitting that she had a crush was a good idea, even if it was to her room mate. Katie smiled at her friend's insecurities. "Boy you have it bad," she teased, poking the side of Melissa's stomach. She squeaked and nearly fell of the side of the bed from her flailing. Upset that her friend was unable to take her problems seriously, she went into a lapse of silence. "Aw, Mel! I'm sorry!" Katie was laughing and hugging her friend. "Talk to me."

That's all it took for Melissa to spill over and tell Katie about the events of the last two days.


	5. Maybe

Katie was overjoyed at the news that her friends liked each other. It didn't surprise her that Fred had made the first move on a girl he found attractive, but both of their reactions gave her quite the shock. The idea of playing match maker certainly intrigued her, though as she saw Fred, she noticed that the only one truly confused and afraid, was Melissa. Fred appeared to be completely smitten. He was dazed more often and laughed at the strangest things. It was also entirely clear that he was in complete denial. Katie had known Fred as the type to snog around. He had built up a minor reputation for it and obviously hadn't planned on changing. Katie decided that, if she monitored the two of them for a month or so, it would be easier to figure out if they truly were meant to be. After all, what was the rush?

They had Charms that morning with Hufflepuff. Melissa wasn't pleased though it was beyond Katie as to why, normally Charms was her favorite class next to Transfiguration. Melissa had changed a great deal since she had confessed her feelings towards Fred to her. She was quieter and less likely to flirt with the other male occupants of the school. The loud, out-going, prankster that Katie had once known had been silenced, an amazing feet for a single person to accomplish, let alone Fred. In an attempt to cheer her friend up, she slung her arm around her shoulder and hugged her casually.

"Come on Mel! Lighten up." She did the exact opposite.

"How am I supposed to lighten up when I know I'm going to class with _him_ in a few minutes?" Even her voice was tight. Katie sighed, finally understanding the finer details of the situation.

"I don't understand why you hate liking him. He's a good bloke through and through. A right pain in the arse, and a bit of a mess, but he's still a good bloke."

"I've never liked anyone before!"

"Seriously? How about that Ravenclaw a year ago? or that Slytherin in our fourth year?" Katie ticked off the boys on her fingers as she recited them.

"Those were never serious," she waved her hand to dismiss her previous relationships. "This. This is different. I can't even look at him without falling the pieces Katie. This feeling is driving me crazy! I just keep remember that feeling! That night when he kissed me, it felt like… it felt like _magic_." Katie rolled her eyes at the use of words." "I'm serious! Like I can't breath or control myself when I'm around him, but he makes me so happy." At the last words, Melissa smiled to herself and Katie could see a light blush creep up onto her cheeks.

"Oh Mel, you really do have it bad."

"But how?" She was full blown upset now. "How could he do this to me? And only after a few weeks?" She was looking up at Katie desperately. Katie didn't have an answer.

"I really don't know Mel, but can't you just trust yourself this once? Let things fall into place. Maybe it's meant to be!" Katie shivered as she noticed how Professor Trelawney was rubbing off on her with regards to the fates. Melissa smiled at the thought.

"Maybe."

"Oi! Fred, are you up yet?"

"Yea, yea Lee I'm up!" He wasn't really out of bed yet though. He had that dream again, about the night they almost got caught. He could feel that his face was extremely warm and waited for it to die down before allowing anyone to see him. It was strange enough that he really like a girl, but to have to admit it to his friends was embarrassing. He was so used to just having flings and fun but a serious relationship never crossed his mind until now. Fred leaned his upper arm against his forehead, covering half of his face, and groaned.

"Morning Freddie! Dreaming about the lovely Mel again?" Fred's face became redder than it had ever turned. George rolled his eyes. "Oh come on now mate. How stupid did you think we were? You are so smitten it's disgusting!" Fred could hear Lee laughing and making gagging noises in the distance.

"Shut it George," Fred mumbled.

"You know, the faster you admit it, the easier it will be for the both of us."

"I don't like her!" Fred could swear that everyone in the whole room had rolled their eyes. He then chose a different method of argument. "I've only known her for a few days! How could I like her?"

"That's what we want to know mate," Lee said, joining George as he threw a pillow at Fred's face.

"Oh come on guys, you know I'm not one to be tied down. Maybe when I've graduated and have a nice stable job I'll have a girlfriend. Maybe."

"As if any of that's going to happen, Freddie," George scoffed, quickly catching on to his brother's sarcasm.

"Well, if you really think about it," Lee began, "it's not all that bad. She's kind of pretty and nice. And you have to admit it, that prank was brilliant. Bloody hell, I didn't even know there was a girl out there who had a funny bone like that." The boys nodded quietly in agreement.

"That spell she uses to change us was pretty impressive too. Not to mention that's she's fixing our mess-ups." George eye-balled Fred, looking for some sort of reaction.

"That or it must have been one hell of a kiss, if you know what I mean." Lee winked at Fred. "Got to get me one of those eh George?"

"Do you think she's giving them out Lee?" The two laughed loudly. Fred took it all in silence, refusing to make any eye contact.

"Oh come on Fred, you know we're kidding. Think about it this way, you haven't even looked at Angelina since you met Mel. You can't say that you haven't changed a bit," Lee retorted.

"Maybe you belong to Hufflepuff after all huh?" Fred whipped a pillow at his twin's head and got up to leave the room. "Admit it Freddie! You'll never look at another girl again! It's love mate!" George and Lee couldn't stop laughing long enough to hear Fred kick the bathroom sink and nearly break his toe.


	6. On the Way to Class

"Morning Katie, Alicia, Angelina, Mel," Lee said as he, Fred and George, entered the room. The girls had been down ten minutes ahead of them to enjoy their breakfast in the main hall. The area was surrounded by students and no one bothered to sit at any specified table. Angelina was in a particularly bad mood. "What's up Ange?"

"I have Umbridge this morning, with Slytherin." She nearly spat at the words "Umbridge" and "Slytherin" and Melissa stifled her laugh. She really shouldn't have been laughing at her friend's pain but couldn't help herself. Katie noticed that Melissa was verging on the edge of hysteria. The amount of denial going through her system certainly could not be healthy. The boys took the seats opposite to them. Coincidently, Fred chose the spot directly in front of Melissa. As she noticed, her body had contracted itself into a small ball, hiding herself away from her crush.

"Moring," Melissa said timidly, her dark brown eyes locked with his bright blue ones. Fred was startled by her bashfulness. He nodded his head in greeting.

"G'morning," he replied. She blushed and looked away before rejoining the main conversation. George grinned at his twin and elbowed him hard in the chest as if to say, "nice". George could tell; if Melissa was anything like Tonks, her hair would have been just as pink as her cheeks. He sent a knowing glace over to Katie and she winked over at him.

"So, any plans so far?" George asked Katie as they walked down the halls behind Fred and Melissa. Since the sentence was out of context, Katie turned to stare at him in shock, her face turning red. George was like her brother! She noticed that he was staring intently at the couple in front of them and brought the sentence to an understanding, carefully choosing her next words.

"Not yet. How do you propose we move forward with this?" she grinned to add to her act. George's grin was even larger. Katie sighed silently. She wouldn't have known what to do if he truly asked her out.

"Well, I've been thinking," he began.

"You've only known for about ten minutes!"

"My mind works wonders." He was pointing at his brain. Katie grabbed his arm and began to create a large circle next to head as he pointed. It took George half a second to realize what she was doing before he put his hand down to his side, sticking his tongue out at her. She replied with the same face. "Anyways, I was thinking about another prank."

"Of course you would be." She rolled her eyes. He held up his hands defensively.

"Hear me out: they bonded on that last prank right? So what harm would another do?" Ahead of them, Melissa was nearly thrown to the floor.

"Fair enough," Katie responded as she witnessed Fred putting Melissa into a headlock, bringing them both to the floor.

"This time, we go for Umbridge though. Gives us more of a challenge," he said as an after thought.

"What? Do you have any idea how much trouble that could get you in? You saw what happened to Harry!" Katie recalled the scars on his left hand and shuddered.

"Oh come on Katie, where's that Gryffindor spirit?"

"Somewhere in a corner, cowering from Umbridge." She was being stubborn. George rolled his eyes. He raced up towards the two of them, planning on telling Fred and Melissa his "plan" but they had already run into the class, Flitwick scolding them for being late.

"What do you think they're up to Fred?" Melissa asked, glancing back at George and Katie. Fred shrugged.

"Haven't a clue."

"I really hate that look they're giving us." She couldn't stop glancing back. Curiosity usually got the best of her. Fred dared a quick look at his brother and shrugged again.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Fred knew that George was giving him time alone with Melissa. Time he wasn't even sure if he wanted. Sighing, Melissa gave up and tried to enjoy a light conversation.

"So, anything new with the joke shop?" He looked at her as if she had just asked him about the weather.

"Uh, well, we're still testing a couple of the sweets for the Skiving Snack Boxes. Most of them are working."

"And have you sold any?" He knew the conversation would turn to this. She wanted her pay of course.

"As a matter of fact, we've only sold a couple of boxes. Five Galleons a piece."

"So that's eight Sickles and fourteen Knuts a piece for me. That was the deal for me helping you. Cough it up." She laughed as she held her hand out to Fred. He was tempted to take hold of it with his own hand. She was just so small. Instead, he rolled his eyes and again, hiding a smile and kicked Melissa's book bag, which sent her flying to her right. He laughed out loud when he saw her try to find her balance. "Not funny!" She was laughing too. Her eyes were twinkling and as soon as Fred noticed, he stopped mid laugh and looked away. He was not about to go down this path. Melissa noticed and curiously made her away around him while they walked forward and forced herself into his line of sight. Trying to prevent Melissa from seeing his reddened face, he quickly put his arm around her neck and put her into a headlock. They were both laughing and giggling. Melissa couldn't take Fred's weight any longer and she collapsed, Fred falling on top of her. In the spur of the moment, Fred made a mad dash down the hall, avoiding the small sprinkles of people wandering through it. "Hey! I don't appreciate being used as a human cushion and not being thanked for it!" She sprinted after him. He turned abruptly and caught Melissa as if she were a flying Quaffle. Though it wasn't usually his specialty, he executed the catch quite well as he flung her over his shoulder. He spun around before putting her back on the floor. She was laughing so hard tears were coming to her eyes. They literally twinkled now from the water droplets and Fred blushed openly, knowing that she would pay no attention to it. He hadn't noticed it, but they had already reached the door way of their Charms class. He would never say it aloud, but it was the best walk to class he had ever been on.

**A/U: Wow, this is my first author's note ever… Well first of all, thank you to weasleyidiot for the first review on my story ever. It may not be popular but I really enjoy writing it. **

**I would also like to apologize for the lack of chapters going up. I've been extremely busy and haven't had the time. **

**Lastly, I vow that I shall write longer chapters after finishing this story (sorry guys but I have serious issues with keeping up the consistency of the chapters so these remain short.)**

**Thank you all for putting up with my horrible writing habits and for putting my story on your alerts and favorites. **


	7. Messing with Umbridge

"So does everyone know what we're doing? I know that was a pretty lengthy explanation." Lee, Fred and Melissa all nodded at George. Melissa hated that horrid pink woman. She had completely destroyed the Defense Against the Dark Arts. In fact, Melissa had now compiled so many notes in her class that she would soon have another copy of her textbook. The only way she was able to keep up with all of her work was by joining Dumbledore's Army. They broke off into three groups. Lee went off in search of Peeves the Poltergeist, Fred and George had gone to lure in Umbridge and Melissa had the duty of distracting Filch. As soon as she was off on her own, Melissa pulled out her wand and cast a quick spell on herself, her appearance changing to match Umbridge's. She had a good feeling about this prank.

The four of them had noticed the Filch had taken a liking towards Umbridge. He was completely infatuated with her air of power and authority and felt as if someone had finally been setting the school right. They were only going to tease him. Just a bit.

Melissa found Filch wandering the corridor near the Gryffindor common room. Of course he would be wandering there. Ever since Umbridge had arrived, the Gryffindors had given them both a great deal of trouble. Not that anyone could blame them. She cleared her throat, doing her best imitation of Umbridge, which caught his attention. Filch jumped at the sound of Umbridge's voice, which almost caused Melissa to gag.

"Yes Dolores?" he asked. His voice was unusually kind. Walking forward in her uncomfortable pink suit, Melissa lightly touched Filch's shoulder, causing a shiver to go down his spine. Again, she almost gagged.

"Ah Argus, you are doing such a fine job attending to the students. They have been behaving very well, all things considered." This was a lie through and through but he didn't seem to notice as he was too engulfed in the fact that he was being spoken to.

"Thank you very much Dolores, but it's only because you have made the rules that I enforce. Ever since you've come along, the school's been top shape!" Filch was the most disgusting suck up Melissa had ever seen. He was so desperate that she almost felt bad for what they were about to do to him. Almost. Melissa pretended to be shy and flattered by his comment, even adding a giggle to her performance. She wondered when the twins were getting here. She could only hold this up for a few minutes longer before she threw up and ruined her character. Filch slicked back his already oily hair with saliva that he had spit into the palm of his hands. Melissa tried to put on her most flirtatious smile. "You know, I find you very, interesting." She giggled again. A loud echoing of textbooks being thrown to the floor could be heard. That was the signal. Relieved that they had finally come to her rescue, she began to walk towards the sound, looking back at Filch every so often as to make sure that he was following her. Of course he was. She smiled and winked. As soon as she turned the corner, she found Lee, Fred and George running towards her at different angles, all being chased by their respected victims. They all met in the center. The four of them panicked as they hadn't anticipated their getaway if they were every cornered. Apparating would have been impossible within the school's walls (as Hermione constantly reminded them) and would make much too loud of a noise. Their brooms were not at their disposal and running would only cause more trouble. Their only option seemed to be a quick Disillusioning charm. As they all became transparent, they ran separate ways, Melissa plastering herself to the closest wall. She was panting heavily and holding her wand close to her chest. She watched the prank unfold before her. Umbridge stomped into the empty corridor, her cheeks a shade brighter than her suit, and screeched.

"Argus! Where are they?" Melissa wondered what the twins had down to upset her but enjoyed the puffed look in her face. She had to put her fist in her mouth to stop from giggling. Filch was still in a daze from Melissa's flirtatious acting as Umbridge and he made no attempt to talk to her. Instead he threw himself on her in any way possible, draping his arms around her and trying to hold her. She pushed his face at her arms length, still distracted with searching for Fred and George.

"Oh Bridgey! What's little Bridgey doing?" Peeves had finally made his grand entrance, flying between the 'loving couple'. "Seducing ol' Filch here are you? Naughty, naughty Bridgey! Naughty, naughty teachers! Bridgey loves Filly! Bridgey loves Filly!" Peeves flew off down the halls, singing and chanting. "Bridgey and Filly sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Bridgey and Filly! Bridgey loves Filly! Yes she does!" Umbridge's face swelled and redness crept up like she was a thermometer. She knew there was no stopping Peeves from relaying the news to the entire school.

"Get off of me Argus!" she screeched, finally pushing him off at full force, throwing him into the wall next to Melissa. She jumped, startled by the sudden movement and dropped her wand. She managed to muffle her small scream and remain disillusioned. Her wand however, had reappeared once it left her hand. There was the sound of shuffling cloth from the wall across from her. Pulling out her wand, Umbridge walked towards Melissa's position. Attempting to scoot away from Umbridge, she shuffled against the wall, trying to get under a piece of tapestry like she had last time. The main problem with this plan was that she still had Umbridge's pudgy size to cope with and couldn't hide herself without shifting the tapestry. She swore under her breath. More cloth could be heard on the opposite wall and she was sure that Fred, George and Lee were running around over there. She sent them a mental scream and prayed that they could hear here. Umbridge was nearing her and she seemed almost certain that Melissa was standing there. Without her wand, she was unable to change herself back into her original form and Umbridge and Filch were sure to find out exactly what was going on.

"Stupefy!" a voice yelled. Melissa prayed that Umbridge would fall. Her world seemed to tilt ever so slightly and she almost wondered why, until she felt the pain of the cold floor smacking her side.

"George, we have to do something!" Fred whispered forcefully. He tried, for the fourth time, to approach the situation but Lee and George held him back again.

"What are we going to do Fred? Stun a professor and get expelled? It's too late!" Lee responded.

"Yea, _now_ it's too late! If you had just let me go before-"

"So you could do what Fred? There was no way to avoid Umbridge finding her." Fred stared angrily at his brother, though he couldn't technically see him. The whole group was disillusioned.

"Maybe, but we could have at least turned her back!" They had no response to that.

"Well, what do we have here? _Finite Incantatum!_" At the sound of the spell, Fred looked towards the reappearing body that lay stupefied on the ground.

"That won't work Fred, the last spell she cast was the Disillusioning charm. She's still going to look like that cow," George muttered. Fred swore under his breath and stared intently as the situation unraveled into a knotted mess. He could hear Umbridge gasp loudly.

"What is this?" she yelled, "Some sort of mockery?" She kicked Melissa roughly. "Do you find this funny? Using a Polyjuice potion! Well, we'll be finding out exactly who you are once it wears off not won't we?" She grabbed the collar of the lookalike and dragged the body down the hall and towards her office, leaving Filch to stand awkwardly in the middle of the hall.

Fred, George and Lee quickly rushed off to a busier section of the school and reappeared, looking at each other with intense worry. Fred was the one to break the silence.

"What now?"

**Authors Note: Well, the chapter is certainly longer. I hope you all like it. There wasn't much FredxMelissa in it but it was more to add a bit of action to the plot. I won't able to post in the next week or so because I'll be on vacation but I'll still be writing. I might be able to get two up when I get back. Please review as it gives me more incentive to write faster! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Caught

"Dolores, it's been an over five hours, what do you expect to find from this?" Professor McGonagall stood impatiently next Melissa's petrified body. She had still been transfigured to look like Umbridge.

"I expect, Minerva, to find out exactly who's behind this and what spell or potions this is! Clearly it is not a Polyjuice potion and as Professor Snape is currently not in stock of any Veritaserum, I plan to wait. Unless you suggest I use other matters." Umbridge peered down at Melissa. It was clear she was tempted to use one of the Unforgiveable Curses.

"Dolores! You are fully aware that we are not to use magic as a form of punishment."

"And _you_ are not aware that I have been promoted to High Inquisitor. I have power over you. I have power over Dumbledore! I may do as I see fit!" The more she spoke, the plumper she became. It was as if all of her hot air had begun to swell her up. If Melissa could, she would have laughed.

"Well, if you're just going to watch her, is it entirely necessary to have her petrified? Even if she wanted to confess, she wouldn't be able to. And how is it that you are entirely certain that this is even a female culprit?" Professor Umbridge huffed but made no move to change her victim's current state. This provided only slight relief to those who were eaves dropping on the conversation.

"Good to know that the Extendable Ears work," Lee muttered, pulling his back in. The twins, nodded, Fred, especially solemn.

"We've got to get in there," Fred decided. There was no audible argument to his statement but there was no question that they had all wondered exactly how they were to go about this. Dolores Umbridge was clearly not a person to cross, however she very badly needed to be crossed with.

"And let's try not to get in trouble in the process," Lee added. "Just because you two don't plan on staying for this year doesn't mean I don't. Besides, if we get in trouble, it might get Mel into even more trouble." They nodded in comprehension.

"Alright I have a plan," Fred began. "George and I will cause a 'minor' distraction out near Filch. Knowing him, he'll go to fetch Umbridge as soon as he can. As soon as she leaves, you go in and sneak her out. You'll need to move fast. Don't know how long we can keep the old cow and her little puppy." George snickered at the nicknames given to Umbridge and Filch.

"I suggest we try a couple of the new items we have in stock." George pulled from his pocket a small black pouch and tossed one to his twin. "A bit of Instant Darkness Powder will make the job easier." The two of them ran off down the hall, bumping into Professor McGonagall as she left office of High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge. They said not a word to each other but there was a silent exchange of an understanding of the events that were sure to follow. It was reassuring to know that they would receive a form of support in their actions.

"Dolores! We have a situation!" Filch staggered into her office, covered in black dust, Mrs. Norris in tow. Melissa didn't need to see Umbridge to know that she had puffed up like a whale at the news. She could hear her stomp from the room with a huff and Filch's mismatched footsteps followed quickly. Melissa sat in silence, still unable to move but her eyes continued to wander about the room. She eyed the intensely bright pink walls and the kittens that littered the wall, watching them pace in their small plate of space.

"Mel!" Lee emerged from the door of the office with his wand in his hand. He hurried to free her from her bond. "_Finite Incantatum!" _The petrifying curse was lifted from her. Melissa then stole his wand and said the same spell, tapping the wand on her own head. Lee witnessed as the plump form reversed back into the petit girl he knew well. "Good to have you back Mel."

"Good to be back Lee. Where are Fred and George?"

"Causing the distraction that's getting you out of here of course." She rose from her seat and searched the office for her wand.

"I know she has it in here somewhere…" Lee began to rummage through her desk while Melissa checked the cupboards. "There's nothing but cats and papers in here!"

"What else did you expect to find?" All of a sudden, the clacking sound of heels on the marble floor and the distinct chatter of the pink lady's perky voice could be heard.

"I do not believe that you two understand the order than runs in this school. Maybe a few more lines will do you some good." Her voice pierced through the halls and echoed into the room distinguishingly. It sickened Melissa to hear it.

"Lee! Hide!" Melissa threw Lee behind one of the pink desks while Lee disillusioned himself. She frantically searched for her own place to hide, only just realizing that she still did not have her wand.

"You," said Umbridge, her voice the deepest it had ever sounded. If the situation hadn't been so serious, the sight of her walking in with Fred and George by their ears. As soon as Umbridge became aware of her position, she released their ears, took out her wand and cast a hex on Melissa. "It was you! Of course it was." She was thrown back to the wall by the impact of the curse and knocked down several of the plates hung there.

"Mel!" Fred and George's voice rung simultaneously through the room and Umbridge caught them both with stunning spells to shut them up.

"I will deal with you two later. Clearly you were involved in this but first I need to clean up this mess." She turned her direction back to Melissa who was struggling to get back on her feet. "You will be prosecuted for your illegal display of magic and punished severely. Seeing how you are of age now, you will surely and hopefully be sent to Azkaban!" Fred had managed to stand again and was in the process of helping his brother up. Umbridge hadn't seemed to notice but Melissa's eyes wouldn't help but flicker in their direction, hoping that they would run from here. Things could only get worse.

"Sent to Azkaban for a bit of a disguise?" Melissa attempted to distract her. If she was already going to be sent to a hell hole, she might as well have some fun before going.

"You and I both know that was not a simple disguise! And we'll find out exactly what it is as soon as I find Professor Flitwick. I don't know how you broke free and I'm certain that there's another student involved but for now you shall remain silent and will go to Azkaban quietly! I'd imagine you would be convicted for treason as well for impersonating me!" Her chest blew up even further, inflating her body and ego. Melissa held her ground and placed her legs further apart, ready for a curse that she was sure would come following her next comment.

"Treason for impersonating a cow? They really seem to be expanding the definition of 'treason'." Umbridge huffed loudly, not impressed by her comment.

"_Crucio!_" she cried, angling her wand at Melissa's head. She crumpled to the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs. She had never felt a pain like that. Her body was burning and she could feel her innards contracting. Melissa had never wanted to die so badly. Umbridge was cackling, enjoying that she was inflicting such pain on a person she despised so greatly. Fred's body jumped at Umbridge's and this time, George made no move to stop him. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, the professor pointed her wand at Fred, stopping him in his tracks. Her laughter continued. "And just where do you think you're going?" Fred could see Melissa's body relax, her breath still panicked. She was crawling over to George frantically.

"What kind of sick person are you?" Fred called out.

"Ah, young love," Umbridge sighed. "How I hate young love. _Crucio!_" It was Fred's turn to collapse. Melissa lunged at the woman and scratched at her arm.

"Get away from him!" she screeched. George followed her in tow, bringing her to the ground.

"And where do you think you're going Ms. Notte?" A deep voice had intruded in their verbal war. Melissa turned to see Professor Snape standing by the door.

"Ah Severus. Would you be so kind as to escort Ms. Notte to the dungeon? I believe she deserves a long night to think about her wrong doings." Even as Snape did not understand the circumstances, he smiled.

"It would be my pleasure."

"And you two." Umbridge redirected her attention to Fred and George. George was tending to his brother, checking to see if he was alright. "You two shall be writing lines for the rest of the night. 'I will not create havoc' and 'I will respect my superiors'." Is that understood?" Neither nodded. "Good. Now, off with you Severus, we must attend to the other students tonight." With a final longing glance at Fred, Melissa left the room.

**Author's Note: Hello and thank you for reading everyone. I just got back from a weeklong vacation and had the time to write this very long chapter. I only have a short outline for this story so far, so when I stuck Melissa into that situation, I had no details as to how exactly I was going to get her out. It took quite some time for me to figure it out. I know there's no romance between Fred and Mel here but this is the action part of the story. I promise to add some in the next chapter. Send me reviews and I will do shout-outs! Keep reading!**

**-Sydney**


	9. Fireworks

The dungeon doors slammed shut, locking Melissa within its walls. She had little strength left in her body, resulting from the impact of the Cruciatus Curse. She half-heartedly grabbed at the bars as they closed.

"What are you doing?" she seethed. Snape turned around quickly.

"Don't think I don't know it was you Ms. Notte. I don't know what you're planning but I suggest you lie low. I will not deny that those two baboons will be attempting to free you as soon as possible, however I advise that you do not cross Professor Umbridge ever again."

"Dumbledore trusted you!" She decided to bring up a sore topic, knowing only what Fred and George were able to tell her, which was very little. He ignored her cries and stalked out of the dungeon. "May I ask one last question?" He stopped to listen. "Why are you helping me?" There was a long silence as Severus thought over his words.

"Your life may be of value sometime soon. I was ordered by Dumbledore to protect any of those who may be useful to the Order." With that, he walked away. Melissa had no idea who the Order was or what Snape was talking about. Fred and George had only told her that they despised Snape. He was supposedly helping their headmaster but they disliked him all the same, she could see why. Slamming the bars in defeat, Melissa slipped down onto the dungeon floor. She had no clue how long she would have to live down here but she knew that he next destination was much worse. She dearly hoped that Snape was right about one thing: Fred and George were planning to get her out.

"From one plan to another. How're your hands mates?" The twins had just come out of detention with Umbridge, which included many, many lines, some of which they had done before. They had two lines of scars on their hands now and they were bleeding profoundly. George had just begun to wrap his with a cloth to cover up and hopefully stop the bleeding.

"Better than ever," Fred muttered sarcastically. "But you're right about moving on to another plan. You heard the pink toad; Mel might be going to Azkaban."

"She _will_ be going to Azkaban if she gets her way!" George insisted, flinching as he tightened the bandage on his hand. "Fred you should really get that wrapped up." His brother ignored him. Instead, he was thinking of a way to free Melissa from her prison.

"Well Georgie, we never really planned on staying this year anyways now did we?" George smirked and Lee grinned as well.

"Now that the toad has taken over, there's no point in staying now is there?"

"No, no there isn't." They winked at each other, clearly aware of what they are about to do.

"What are you two talking about?" Lee asked. Their voices and minds combined in their answer.

"The fireworks."

Melissa had officially spent a whole twenty-four hours in the school's dungeon. To be honest, she wasn't even aware the school had a fully functional dungeon until a day ago. She had spent the time in thought, mostly mourning the fact that she was in there in the first place. She regretted ever learning the spell and for a long period of time, she blamed Fred, George and Lee for her imprisonment. If they hadn't decided to abuse her ability for their own mischievous pranks, she would have gotten away with a lot more than they could have ever planned. Of course, the blame game could have only gotten so far. No matter how she looked at it, the truth was that she had dared to use the spell in the first place. She knew well that it was illegal and yet she used it. But she had no regrets regarding it. She felt that she used it well and made the most of it without hurting anyone. Well, except for Filch maybe. As the hours passed, Melissa began to make lists. She made lists of the things she never got to do, things she got to do, things she got away with, people she would miss, and people that might miss her. She eventually even came to talking to herself as the silence became deafening. Finally, she came to a list of apologies.

"I'm sorry for abusing an illegal spell. I'm sorry to anyone who would be upset that I'm here. I'm sorry for hurting anybody. I'm even sorry to Filch, for messing with your crazy obsessive infatuation towards Umbridge the cow."

"Now now, I think that's going a bit too far." Melissa jumped at the sound of a deep voice from the corners of the dungeon, fearing that it may have been a guard. Her body was stiff in fear. Around the corner, a dark silhouette of a tall male appeared and Melissa stood and small pebble as her only weapon of defense. She didn't dare speak up. If it really was a guard, she would have been punished. The voice was definitely familiar so she held her fire and stood her ground, waiting for a clear view of the person.

"Fred?" she asked as his bright orange hair came into view. He was smiling largely with his arms wide open. "Fred." His name came out in a breath. His smile diminished and he began to work at the bars of the cell.

"_Alohomora!_" he whispered forcefully, unlocking the padlock on the door. The bars swung open and Melissa tackled him into a hug.

"Thank you so much," she said, squeezing him tightly, feeling blood rush to her cheeks at how forward her actions were. His arms slowly wrapped around her waist. He didn't respond but instead, pulled out her wand from his robe.

"I believe this is yours," he murmured. She gasped and took her wand delicately. They began a slow jog, exiting the dark and dank dungeon.

"How did you get this back? Didn't Umbridge have it?"

"Well, she also had our brooms locked in her office." As they finally left the prison, and entered the corridors, Fred brought out his broom from against a close wall. Laughing knowingly, she mounted the broom behind Fred and she held his stomach tightly. "Time to cause a bit of mischief." They took off quickly and headed out of the underground level of .the school.

"Oi, Freddie! Went well?" George flew alongside the two of them, winking at his twin. Fred nodded in Melissa's direction, indicating to George that she was there. Melissa waved frantically, only releasing her hand from Fred's waist for half a second before replacing it.

"What happens now?" Melissa asked Fred as they flew towards the Great Hall.

"I assume you don't plan on staying for the rest of this year," he replied, not waiting for her answer, "So we're going to set off a little display for the Pink Frog."

"I like the sound of that." Melissa smirked as George tossed a small box at Fred. As they entered the Great Hall, which was full of students, they released the contents and reviled endless amounts of fireworks. Swooping down to greet the students, they flew in circles as people panicked and cheered at the performance. Melissa could see Umbridge run into the room frantically, dodging flying projectiles that were aiming for her head. She tried to vanish and destroy the fireworks but instead of disappearing, they multiplied or got bigger. A few choice curse words could be heard coming from the Headmistress's vocabulary and George and Fred high-fived each other in congratulations to their success. Other professors had also entered the scene but the only people that were attempting to rid the room of the display were Umbridge and Filch. The three of them laughed as they flew about the room, setting off more fireworks and sending high-fives to anyone who would give them one.

"Oi, Fred!" George called out, gesturing to the door. Fred nodded and tilted his head slightly towards Melissa.

"This is where we take leave Mel." She gripped around his waist tighter, indicating that she was coming with them and he nodded in understanding. Their speed doubled as they zoomed out of the Great Hall, leaving the school forever.

**Authors Note: Thanks so much for reading everyone! I really would appreciate reviews on the chapters. They give me so much more motivation to write. I know not much happens here but I had to get her out of the dungeon before I did anything first right? Well, I hope you liked it and continue to read! It makes my day when I get an e-mail from this site saying that someone put this on their favorite or alert list. Thanks **

**-Sydney**


	10. Back Home

"That was amazing!" Melissa screamed, as she and Fred flew through the air around Hogwarts. Fred and George laughed at her reaction and she smiled, happy that she had them, happy that she had Fred. With that thought in mind, she hugged him tighter. Noticing the sudden squeeze around his abdomen, Fred flushed and squirmed, not sure how to react. "Where do we go now?" she asked, thinking about all of the belongings she had left behind.

"Don't worry about you're things," Fred replied, reading her mind, "We're headed to the Burrow. George and I grew up there. Mum's not going to be happy that we're back so soon." He muttered the last sentence and Melissa laughed, imagining the looks on her own parent's faces when they received the news. They knew of her illegal work but what they didn't know was how often she had used it. They definitely would not be pleased. It was a long half hour of flying. Seeing as George was too far for any decent conversation, Fred and Melissa chatted idly by about not particular topic. She had forgotten about their little trade off with the Skiving Snack Boxes. She would rather have her focus on her happiness then. She had Fred to herself for that half hour. He was wrapped in her arms, though she would have thought that the situation would be flipped. Nothing ordinary ever happened when she was with him so she wasn't entirely baffled. When they had finally reached the Burrow, Melissa admired it's quite glory. The home was tall. It stood almost as a free standing tower with five levels. The land they owned was vast but the space they used for their home was narrow. There was a garden right in front and a small one out back as well. The home was made of a light colored wood and red slate roofing. The creaky wooden stairs that lead to the front door gave off a very antique aura. Melissa could tell that the home had a history.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. She wasn't aware she had even spoken aloud until Fred responded to her.

"Thanks. It's not much, but its home."

We landed in front of the crooked house and Melissa noticed the barren ground, stripped of any grass or plant life form. There was a small pond directly behind them and a fence that rounded the entire house. Melissa fidgeted with her fingers, only just realizing the upcoming situation. She would be meeting with Fred's parents. Well, it was actually her mother that she was more concerned with. The only information she had ever received with regards to their mother had been through a howler that was sent to the twin's youngest brother, Ron, during her fifth year. As motherly as her reaction had been, specifically her random excerpt of kindness towards her daughter's house placement, her anger was something to behold. If Mrs. Weasley was anything like her own mother (and so far, their actions had been fairly similar), than Melissa feared greatly of their mother's reaction to the fact that they had just left and destroyed Hogwarts. She could tell by the looks on the twin's faces that they weren't looking too forward to the confrontation either. Maybe their mother really was a person to fear. Melissa hid instinctively behind Fred as he pushed her behind him further in an attempt to protect her from the impending wrath of his own mother. They had barely made it to the front door when it slammed open, revealing a small plump women with orange hair not unlike the boys'. Her blue eyes were fierce and had more fire than her hair could ever express.

"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BACK HOME?" The three of them flinched and Melissa hid further behind Fred. "I HAD JUST RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HOGWARTS THAT YOU WERE EXPELLED! NO WORD FROM YOU! I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHERE YOU WERE! YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Fred opened his mouth to explain but was interrupted immediately.

"It wasn't their fault Mrs. Weasley," Melissa whispered, shocked at her forward notion. "It was _my_ fault."

"Mel, what are you doing?" Fred muttered, restricting movement from his lips as to not been seen by his mother. Melissa ignored his weary question and stepped out from behind him, continuing her story.

"I had gotten myself in trouble for… well, for something silly really. Headmistress Umbridge threw me in the dungeon and the twins felt obligated to save me. I suppose they took it a little too far but seeing as they had saved me, we really couldn't stay. We quite rushed actually. Didn't want to be caught again." The fire had not left Mrs. Weasley's eyes and Melissa made the effort to hold her ground and continue to look her without letting her attention sway. She needed Mrs. Weasley to be aware of how serious she had been. Getting the twin's out of this situation was the least she could do for them after they had freed her. Eventually, her expression began to soften and relax. Sighing, she hesitated before responding.

"And who are you my dear?"

"My name is Melissa Notte. I'm a friend of Fred and George's," she said nervously. She wondered why she had even said she was friends with the twins as the statement was so obvious.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I don't blame you deary." She approached Melissa welcomingly and embraced her as if she were her own child. "However," her tone took a sudden turn and her eyes had returned to look at her two sons trying to sneak into the house. "You two. How _dare _you destroy Hogwarts and simply leave?"

"Oh come on Mum! Umbridge was just awful!" George whined.

"Yea Mum! She had it coming! And no one was hurt. Everyone was pretty happy actually." Fred continued.

"It was like our late Christmas gift to our fellow students." This clearly did not fly over well with Mrs. Weasley.

"_We_ will have a talk about this. Melissa dear, why don't I show you up to the room you'll be staying in? You must be hungry." Melissa was slightly overwhelmed by the sudden kindness from Mrs. Weasley, as if she were her daughter.

"_Mum_," George whined as Melissa was ushered into the house.

"We won't be staying long Mum," Fred interjected, rephrasing his brother's complaint.

"Yea, we need to go out to the shop. We just -"

"Got the permit for the building you see."

"And we really want to make sure everything is alright."

"Are you two still going on about that joke shop of yours? How many times do I have to tell you? A joke shop is not the way to go about the rest of your lives. Why can't you be more like your brothers-?"

"I think it's a wonderful idea Mrs. Weasley," Melissa offered. The entire room had gone silent and the three Weasley's stared at her in disbelief. She attempted to mend the situation quickly. "I mean, their products really do work. And there would be a great deal of students who would want them. You really should see your sons work Mrs. Weasley. Where they lack in school studies, they make up for through the effort they've been placing on their futures." There was still silence and Melissa continued. "I understand where your worry roots, but maybe allowing them to give it a shot… well, it wouldn't hurt, would it?" Melissa had no more to say but she was tempted to fill the void that still occupied the space. Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"Very well, but we still need to talk boys. You two are you going to have a lot of explaining to do to me." The twins gulped and Melissa smiled, glad that she had been able to help them slip from at least one of their problems. "I'll bring you up to your room and you can rest there."

"Thank you so much Mrs. Weasley."

"Boys! Grab her things and drop them off in Ginny's room." Fred and George scurried over to Melissa's trunks and carried them off and up the stairs, each giving dramatic bows. She could have sworn that Fred had even dared to wink at her. She could hear Mrs. Weasley laugh slightly, quiet enough so the boys couldn't hear her amusement.

"I do believe he has taken some interest in you Melissa dear," she whispered into the younger girl's ear. Melissa could feel the sudden rush of blood flow through her cheeks. Without responding, she ran up after the twins. Mrs. Weasley was much more observant than she was comfortable with.

**Author's Note: Hello readers! Thanks so much for reading the chapter. I apologize for the long wait and the uneventful bit of writing. I'm actually debating on whether or not the story should end soon. We'll see. Special thanks to:  
>skidney<br>****drakekurtzlover101**

**Katniss  
>for reviewing the last chapter. I'm working hard to continue to keep you all updated. I would really appreciate it if you told people about my stories. It would give me a huge incentive to write more frequently. Check out my profile for more information. Thanks again to all of you and see you next chapter!<strong>

**-Sydney**


	11. The Burrow

Ginny's room was small, as was the rest of the house. The walls were a pastel color that Melissa had trouble deciding on. It was either purple or pink. Either way, she wasn't sure if she was entirely pleased with the color choice. The paint was chipping to show the dark brown wood behind it. There were two beds on either side of a single night table. She was tempted to rest her head right then and there but there was too much on her mind. She would never find rest with the rate that her mind was racing at. The twins had quickly put her trunks in the room and run off. They did not want her to hear the small argument that was about to ensue downstairs and nor did Mrs. Weasley. She wouldn't have been surprised if a silencing charm had been placed around the room to ensure that, even if she had intended to listen in, she would not be able to hear a thing. She couldn't believe her position. She was in the home of Fred Weasley. And George as well. Melissa could feel the heat at her cheeks and she was tempted to leave the room to see him. She didn't plan on unpacking because something told her that she wouldn't be staying her for very long. The twins had looked very eager to leave the house and seemed on only making a pit stop, if you will.

Now that they had all escaped any sorts of danger, she could relax a bit. No one outside of the school knew of her abilities and she was no longer being threatened by Umbridge the Pink Frog. She was allowed to finally let her mind wander, and wander it did. It wandered straight to Fred Weasley. What was it again that she felt for him? Admiration? Adoration? Annoyance? She had been so preoccupied within late that she hardly had the time to wonder exactly what she thought of Fred. Well, of course she knew what she felt but she had yet to have made a set conclusion about her feelings. She had an idea, but it was absurd. Melissa hadn't notice the time slip past until a light knock was heard from the door. She rose from the bed, not knowing when she had taken a seat, and answered the door, peaking her head out through a crack.

"Yes?" she asked playfully.

"Dinner awaits malady," Fred replied, bowing and using the same tone she had. Both of their laughs turned to nervous ones as they made eye contact. They had finally noticed their new positions outside of the school. Things were different now. Melissa left the room and followed Fred down to the kitchen, where George and Mrs. Weasley were preparing lunch. Well, Mrs. Weasley was preparing lunch.

"Ah Melissa, there you are. Well, I'm sure you're hungry now. From what Fred and George have told me about your little, ah, _adventure_, you haven't even eaten breakfast yet."

"Oh come on Mum! It's not like we the time!" Fred complained as George began to reenact the scene.

"Could you imagine? You running into the dungeon with a full breakfast buffet in your hands? 'We're here to rescue you Mel! But first, a nutritious meal to start your day. No, don't worry, take your time. No one will notice that I'm trying to break you out of the school's prison.'" The three burst out in fits of laughter as Mrs. Weasley scowled at them, not finding the act humorous in the slightest. Melissa was the first to notice and tried to stop her laughter immediately, coughing to signal the other two. They followed shortly, fearing their mother's begrudging eye.

"What are you planning to do now?" Mrs. Weasley said, returning to the stove, where a spoon had been enchanted to constantly stir a boiling broth. The smell was heavenly and Melissa resisted the urge to float over and steal a taste. Mrs. Weasley seemed slightly annoyed with her sons. "You've left Hogwarts and don't plan on going back. You haven't got any N.E.W.T.S. What you planning?"

"George and I believe our skills can be used elsewhere. Outside of N.E.W.T.S." Fred said, winking at his brother.

"You're not still talking about that joke shop are you?" She had turned her attention away from the food now and stared down at her sons. Melissa wasn't sure what to do. She had known about the joke shop all along, not aware of the fact that their mother would not approve of it. Melissa had been encouraging sales and production. "I've told you clearly enough; you will not throw your lives away by opening a silly joke shop. You will work for the Ministry, just like your father." Already, Melissa could see the direction this conversation was headed for and she desperately wanted to escape it. Fred noticed the tension and used it as an escape from the argument.

"Mum," Fred said, nudging his head towards Melissa. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Yea, how about some food for the poor guest?" George continued, catching on. It was clear to Melissa that they still hadn't resolved the issue of the shop. She wondered what their talk had been like if that was the case.

"I reckon your talk with your mother didn't go well?" Melissa asked after lunch. Mrs. Weasley had gone to cater to the doxy nest that had found their way into Ginny's room. Melissa had discovered it when she had returned shortly before eating to change her shirt after a small spill. The nest was hardly a nest but the threat of a doxy bite was nothing to laugh about.

"How'd you guess?" Fred asked sarcastically.

"She never was too happy with the Joke Shop. Why, you should have seen us a few years back," George said, taking a seat next to George at the table.

"Yea, she confiscated near three dozen products. God knows what she's done with them."

"We've looked everywhere. Gone."

"Of course, that's given us the opportunity to develop new ones."

"They never really worked anyway." Melissa laughed at the unity of the two of them."

"We're leaving tomorrow morning. Before Mum wakes up," Fred added. Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa could see George glare at Fred.

"To the shop?" she asked.

"Yea."

"I guess you want me to stay here then. I don't mind, I mean your mum is great."

"No, I, I mean, _we_, want you to come with us." Melissa blushed at the sound of that.

"Oh, well then I guess I can go pack my things. I feel a little bad that we're leaving your mother though. Won't she be upset?"

"She won't be when she sees how successful we are."

**Author's Note: Hello readers! Thank you so much for putting up with me and my late posts. I really do appreciate it. I also apologize as nothing really happens in this chapter. The chapter is mostly acting as a transition period. Thanks to skidney for giving me a review. I would appreciate more however. I'll try to be a bit quicker with my updates from now on. For now, enjoy the longer chapters and I'll see you next time.**

**-Sydney**


	12. What's Important

"We? _We?_ I didn't agree to this mate. What happened to making decisions as a team?" George cried, taking note of how much they sounded like an angry married couple.

"Sh! Keep it down. They're asleep," Fred murmured.

"She can't come with us," George whispered harshly.

"Why not? We've come this far with her," Fred retorted in the same tone.

"No, _you've_ come this far with her. Look, I support this and all, but she's getting in the way of the plan mate."

"Why can't we include her into the plan?"

"Cause she's not in the plan. We're going to the shop in the morning and she's staying here with Mum. She can look after her." Fred refused to respond to his brother, unable to find appropriate words. "Look, I'm not asking you to say goodbye to her forever. Blimey, you'll get to see her later. But she's not coming with us to set up shop. This was _our_ plan and I'm not letting her get in the way of it."

"She's not getting in the way!"

"She may not be getting in the way to you but she is to me. Look, you like her, I get it. But this has nothing to do with her." George could see the dark red charge onto Fred's face. He couldn't argue with his brother. He knew he was right. George was right.

"Fine," Fred sighed. "How're we going to tell her then?"

"You mean, 'how are _you_ going to tell her'. You're the one who said she was coming, not me. Besides, she's less likely to snap at you than me." Fred knew it was true, though he still dreaded the task.

"Thanks for throwing me into the fire mate."

"Anytime."

"Hey Mel?" Fred called, quietly knocking on the door to Ginny's bedroom. She was throwing items back into her trunk and Fred nearly walked out without a word, not wanting this confrontation to happen.

"Fred! Hey, I'm just packing up to leave for later. Hey are you okay?" He avoided eye contact with her. She sensed the tension he emitted and sat down on the bed, stopping her packing. She patted the space on the bed next to her and Fred took a seat. He had to get this over with. It would be like ripping off a band-aid.

"You can't come with us," Fred blurted. Melissa's expression dropped and the room went silent. She was so confused. "I'm sorry. I was talking things out with George and…"

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." Fred's head shot up from the ground and he stared at Melissa in disbelief.

"What?"

"I said 'don't worry about it'," she repeated, standing up. She stood in silence for a while and Fred wasn't sure what he should have done. She was clearly unhappy. Her body was tense and he wanted to hug her and tell her he was sorry. Suddenly, he shoulders slumped and she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being horrible right now aren't I?" He didn't respond. "Of course it's more important that you stay with your brother. He's your brother. Your family. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." This was the right time. Fred rose from the bed and wrapped his arms around Melissa, holding onto her tightly.

"You weren't wrong to be upset. I wanted to be with you too. We even argued about this for a while. That's how important the whole thing was to me. But George and I have a plan. We've had this plan for years. It's all we have." The only bit of that Melissa had seemed to catch was the second line. She attempted to turn around to face him but found herself locked in his grasp.

"You wanted to be with me?" she whispered. "Let me turn around to see you."

"No! It's too embarrassing. I look stupid," Fred replied, panicking slightly. He was clearly flushed. Melissa laughed lightly as she felt his grip loosen. She didn't look at him but instead, placed her cheek on his chest and her hand on his shoulder.

"Fred, I like you. I like you a lot," she whispered. When he didn't respond, she continued. "I like how you aren't afraid of anything. I like how funny and adventurous you are. You're loud and obnoxious and you make me so happy. I don't care if you don't take me with you. Not anymore. Because I know you know what's important to you. You need to follow you dream with your brother and I'm just not part of that. I understand. I just couldn't let you leave. I was selfish but not now. I don't know how you even begin to deal with any of this. I'm a mess." She laughed to break the silence and felt as he tilted her chin upwards so her eyes met his. Melissa could sense the sudden rush of blood to her cheeks as he slowly neared her face. She closed her eyes, anticipating the following moments, butterflies flying about her stomach, making her toes curl. She decided that this one would be different from the first, because this time, she would kiss him as his girlfriend and not a stranger.

**Author's Note: So sorry it took so long! I've been busy and writer's blocked. It's also super short… I apologize! I feel bad but I really have been busy. I really hope you liked it. I'll be adding more descriptive romantic stuff later on I promise. I also promise to describe the kiss to you all in full detail in the next chapter. I know you want it. Also, and quick and special thanks to skidney and an anon for reviewing the last chapter. Don't bail on me yet! Hope to see you in the next chapter soon.**

**-Sydney**


	13. Welcome

They looked at each other intently, smiling. Melissa felt as if his actions were consent for him liking her as well and she was suddenly perfectly fine with him leaving with his brother to open up their shop. He liked her and that was enough. She hadn't felt more elated in weeks. Fred was clearly not satisfied with a single kiss and their lips met again. This was different from the latter one. The other kiss had been soft, warm and careful; as if he were testing the waters. Now he knew the waters were just right and dove right in. Melissa's blood was racing and she could barely contain the adrenaline that was pumping through her. Her hands searched desperately for his cheeks and then the back of his neck, weaving her fingers through his hair. This was a goodbye kiss, she could tell. Fred was in no hurry to end it, yet, at the same time, he was very quick and harsh with his movements. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach, flying as if they desperately wanted to escape from her. She could have gone on forever. As corny as it was, she wished she could stop time and have this moment. In this moment, she had Fred and this kiss. A kiss that made her feel like he needed her; not just physically. There was passion and love in the kiss. Something that she had never felt from him before. She pulled back abruptly.

"Fred, are you okay?" she asked. There must have been a reason for his sense of urgency.

"I just really don't want to leave now Mel. Of all times. Really," he huffed. She laughed.

"You're such a kid!" she cried, teasing him.

"Coming from you?" he retorted noting her childish tendencies. She stuck out her tongue at him, proving his point. "I'll miss you." He pecked her cheeks.

"It's not like you'll be far. Just Diagon Alley right? I'll come visit you. Often. So much so you'll be sick of me in a week."

"Less than that I'd wager."

"Fine, a day. But not a second sooner." For a long while, the couple stood still, embracing each other tightly and stretching the time for all it was worth. "It's like a dream isn't it?"

"What is?"

"This moment. The fact that we like each other. Isn't it bizarre?"

"A bit. But I'm not complaining." He leaned down to kiss her softly again.

"Do you still have to go?"

"Yes."

"And I can't come with you?"

"Not right now." She sighed.

"Alright. Now get going before I change my mind." He chuckled as she let go of her grip around his neck.

"You would, wouldn't you? Okay, I'm leaving now. Don't mess with my mother too much. She already likes you."

"No promises."

wWw

Melissa was grateful that Katie agreed to go to Diagon Alley with her that day. It had been almost a month since she had last seen Fred and almost a month since they had gotten together. He sent her owls everyday to keep her in the loop, though George had a hard time approving of Fred spending his time writing to her rather than helping open up shop. In any case, Melissa had never felt more special to anyone. Today was their opening day and Fred had asked Melissa to come see them at their finest moment. Mrs. Weasley tagged along as well. Surprisingly, she was quite chipper about the event. Melissa supposed that their mother couldn't be mad at her sons for very long, or possibly she assumed that the project was simply doomed and hoped her sons would move on quickly. Either way, Melissa was glad she could make it. It would mean a lot to the boys.

She wasn't about to make seeing Fred again easy. She still had a few tricks up her sleeve. It's not as if Mrs. Weasley had sucked _all_ of the pranking out of her; just some of it.

"You sure about this hun?" Mrs. Weasley asked skeptically, clearly slightly amused by the thought of it.

"Of course I'm sure Mrs. Weasley. It'll be fun!" On that note, Melissa cast _morphus totalus_ on herself, transforming her size slightly. She left the rest of her structure alone. The biggest difference? She was much bigger. _Much_ bigger. So big in fact, that she didn't even know if gaining such an amount of weight in the span of a month was even possible. Katie could barely contain herself at the sight of Melissa.

"You look absolutely ridiculous! I just can't look at you with that quick of a transformation! I mean, maybe if it happened over time… but to see you bloat up like that! Dear Merlin! You looked like a balloon! I hope Fred doesn't take this too badly Mel." Katie had doubled over in laughter.

"He won't. I want to scare him anyways. And if he's that shallow, then I don't know what I've gotten myself into. Come on."

As the group neared the new shop, they could hear it before they saw it. There was loud music playing, as well as the occasional explosion and fits of laughter. The shop was bright orange and purple. Melissa could hardly believe her eyes when she saw the places.

"Oh! There they are! Fred! George! Over here!" Katie screamed. The two carrot topped heads spun to face their direction. Melissa suddenly felt extremely self conscious and wondered if she could actually go through with her prank. Pulling herself together, she charged at the carrot top she recognized as her boyfriend.

"Fred!" Melissa screamed as she ran into his welcoming arms. "I missed you so much!" She could feel the comforting warmth from his body and she came to remember why she had loved him as much as she had when he last left.

"Hey Mel! Good to see you again. All of you," George cut in, commenting on her voluptuousness, or lack thereof. She put her hands at her hips and glared at George, hurt that he would have even thought she would do this to herself. It also pained her to see that this was how he would have treated her as well. She prayed Fred would defend her.

"I'd have to agree Mel. What happened? Mum give you too much to eat?"

"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley scolded. Out of the corner of Melissa's eye, she could see Katie's worried expression. Melissa's prank was blowing out of proportion.

"Excuse me?" Melissa replied, "And what is wrong with the way I look?" Two large grins spread wide eagle across the twins' face.

"I don't know Mel, you tell us," Fred countered.

"Yea Mel, you're the one who went through all the trouble to test Freddie here." George patted his brother in the shoulder and the two of them began to laugh. The girls were in shock. What just happened?

"Oh come on Mel! Do you think I don't know you well enough that you could pull another one over us?"

"Yes," she replied stubbornly while incanting the reversal spell. She could feel her body shrinking and she felt light again. Using their laughter as a distraction, she punched both brothers in the shoulder; hard.

"Ah, you take me for a jerk. I see how it is!" Fred cried mockingly, feigning sadness.

"That I do!" Melissa laughed. With that, Fred scooped her up in his arms and gave her a swift peck.

"Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

**Author's Note: The end is near! I'm sorry it took so long to update and I know the chapter is really… well, it's not much. I was also debating on whether or not I should continue to Fred's death later on or if I should end on a happier note sometime before the accident. Please leave reviews with your opinions! Oh and I only recently figured out how to fix my page breaks! Yay! Well, thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter! **

**-Sydney**


	14. Green Eyes

The twins showed the group around. The place was packed already, and the shop had only been open for a couple of hours. Many of the buyers were Hogwarts students and Melissa and Katie waved to most of them. Melissa couldn't help noticing Fred's arm wrapped tightly around her waist for the entire tour. The bloody place had three levels and they went to each one. As the levels went on, there were less popular or more dangerous variations of items, including fireworks.

"Aha, those things," Melissa muttered, glancing at the large selection. Fred chuckled, clearly the only person close enough in proximity to hear her.

"What did the poor little guys ever do to you? If anything they helped get you out of there," he teased.

"Yea, yea but it brings back bad memories. That dungeon was utter crap."

"Ah, very true. So, how's the burrow?"

"It's been lovely. You're Mum is so nice and she's an amazing cook."

"Tell her that and she'll cook until you look like a pumpkin."

"Eh, been there, done that." They both laughed loudly and noticed that they were the only two left on their small tour of the shop. The others must have given them the slip for a bit of privacy. Fred smiled.

"I missed you Mel." He leaned forward and gave her a peck on her forehead.

"I missed you too Freddie." She tiptoed up to him and grazed his lips with her own.

"FRED! Where do the new stock of Pygmy Puffs go?" a female voice screamed from the lower level of the shop. The two of them jumped at the sound of the female voice. Fred leaned over the side of railing to see Varity, a blonde worker they had recently hired to help around the shop.

"First floor. I want them on the large display. Everyone has to see those Varity!"

"Okay!" she screamed back. Melissa could feel herself become slightly irritated but let it go when Fred turned his attention back to her, replacing his arm around the back of her waist. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, Verity's voice echoed once more. "Fred!" With a loud sigh, Fred returned to the railing.

"Yea Varity?"

"I need you to come take a look at this…" Fred rolled his eyes and returned to Melissa.

"Go ask George!" he yelled back, already half way to Melissa's lips.

"Fred!" He ignored her, finally kissing Melissa passionately. "FRED!" Suddenly a loud boom could be heard and out of the corner of his eye, Fred could see smoke rising from the opening. This time, it was George's voice that called out to him.

"Fred! Get your arse down here! We need a bit of help!" Fred groaned loudly and let go of Melissa. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before disapparating downstairs.

"We'll pick this up later, I promise."

wWw

Melissa found Katie hovering over a batch of Love Potions.

"You don't need any of that Katie, trust me," Melissa teased, taking the potion out of her hand and dropping it back onto the display.

"Ha, you're in no position to talk. How's Fred?"

"I really wouldn't know. He's been pretty busy with the shop. I didn't think I'd see him so little now," Melissa admitted, trying to distract herself with a few knickknacks off the shelves.

"Well, he has gotten to be fairly popular. Both of them have. Remove all the pranking from their systems and they really are quite charming. Though, you may want to watch your back. One of the workers seems to have an eye out," Katie said with a mischevious glint in her eye. "I'm going to go check out the upper floors. Hold on to your catch Mel!"

"Thank you for the words of encouragement Katie. I really do appreciate them." Melissa turned to see Varity innocently trying to reach an upper shelf with Fred standing behind her grabbing the item for her. If she didn't know any better they looked very cute together, as if they were dating, as if they fancied one another. No, she would not be jealous. She did not ever see herself as the jealous type and the fact was not about the change. She would remain calm and level headed. But she still needed to know what was on Varity's mind. Melissa wasn't sure how to approach her. She hardly knew Varity, and to just walk up to her would make her look hostile and over protective. It was not a look she wanted to achieve.

"Mel! I'm back!" Fred called out. A large grin spread across her face as he walked towards her, only to be interrupted again with a loud explosion from the second level. They both flinched at the sound.

"Fred!" Varity's voice called out again.

"Coming!" Fred replied, slightly annoyed, leaving her once again. Varity was really beginning to get on Melissa's nerves. She stormed up to the shop assistant as soon as she could, finding her alone, stocking shelves.

"Do you fancy Fred or something?" she accused immediately. Varity looked completely shocked, then smug.

"My, I never pinned you as the type to be jealous but I don't think Fred will mind all too much. He's got too much of an ego to mind." Melissa didn't quite understand and with that in mind, didn't speak. Instead she merely glared. "No, I don't fancy Fred. It's been quite the day. I've needed the boys' help is all. I won't call out for him for the next while if that suits your fancy." Varity shrugged and Melissa's body slumped.

"I'm sorry," Melissa muttered, feeling the guilt wash over her. "I tend to over react at times."

"No need. Actually quite flattered really. And disgusted. No offence."

"None taken." They laughed.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Varity winked.

"Leave her to what?" Melissa turned around to see Fred walking up towards the two of them. When she turned back, she noticed that Varity had already left.

"Nothing," Melissa grinned. "Just you."

**Author's Note: Sorry I disappeared off the map for quite some time and then reappeared with this utter crap excuse for a chapter… I've had quite the writer's block :/ apologies. Hope you still want to read. Though, I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to anymore. Thank you for sticking around though!**


End file.
